Minister Heydon joins farmers, finishers, processors and key stakeholders in Meath to launch OBLIG

Ireland's organic production is on a steep growth curve, with the area of land farmed organically increasing by 223% between 2020-2025. As production grows, our national target is also to treble the wholesale value of organic food output to €750 million by 2030, from €200 million in 2023.

Ensuring that organically raised animals are brought to market as organic food is central to achieving this target. Today, at Paul Kennedy's farm in Stamullen, Meath, a new farmer-led initiative is being launched to support the production and processing chains: the Organic Beef and Lamb Innovation Group (OBLIG).

Led by ifac, the farming, food and agribusiness advisory firm, and delivered in partnership with Teagasc, National Organic Training Skillnet and Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-op, OBLIG brings together farmers, finishers, processors and retailers behind a single goal: building a stronger future for Ireland's organic beef and lamb. This European Innovation Partnership (EIP) project is co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the European Union.

The project tackles structural problems that make it difficult to process organic livestock through organic supply chains. Weanling/store producers, finishers, marts, processors and retailers often operate in isolation, leading to much of the organically raised beef and lamb not reaching supermarket shelves as organic. Every animal that is not sold through the organic channel is a lost premium for the farmer and a lost supply for the processor, retailer, and consumer.

This EIP is officially launched today by the Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and the Marine, Martin Heydon, with a farm walk demonstrating the project's work on the ground.

The OBLIG group is built around five objectives: reducing leakage of organic produce into the conventional supply chain; improving coordination across the supply chain; enhancing collaboration and support among producers; addressing distribution and finishing challenges; and strengthening the market linkages that connect farmers to buyers.

The team will focus on addressing the disconnect between weanling/store beef producers in the West and finishing capacity in the Midlands, South and East, and the seasonality that leaves processors and retailers short of certified organic supply for parts of the year. OBLIG will also work with hill lamb producers and finishers, coordinate activity across participating farmers to extend the season, and engage directly with marts.

Through farmer networks, training, capacity building and better data on how the supply chain behaves, the project aims to turn a fragmented organic beef and lamb sector into a coordinated, resilient and profitable one.

With a group of participating famers already in place, OBLIG will recruit a second cohort of farmers throughout 2026, opening the project to more organic beef and lamb producers who want to connect with finishers, processors and retailers and capture the full value of their organic status.

Minister Heydon said:

"Ireland has had significant success in growing organic farming over the past 5 years. For farmers to retain the premium they have earned through their hard work, this growth in production must be matched with a functioning supply chain that brings the food to the consumer and is proudly displayed on supermarket shelves as organic. This will also support the market with the supply of organic food it needs to grow.”

“The OBLIG EIP has been set up to develop systems and processes to enable this to happen. By bringing producers, finishers, processors and retailers around the same table, and backing them with training, farmer networks and better information, this project gets to the root of the challenges farmers and processors face. I am delighted to see the collaboration on display here today, and I want to commend everyone involved for the work already done. This is the kind of practical, farmer-led innovation, supported by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the European Union and EIP-Agri, that will help us build a stronger and more sustainable future for the sector."

Speaking on behalf of ifac, which is leading the project, Maura O'Callaghan, OBLIG Project Manager and Food and Agribusiness Director at ifac, said:

"The talent and commitment in Ireland's organic sector has never been in question. What has been missing is coordination, the connections that make sure an organically raised animal reaches the market as organic. That is where ifac and our partners are focused. By working alongside Teagasc, National Organic Training Skillnet and Leitrim Organic Farmers Co-op, and with the backing of DAFM, the European Union and EIP-Agri, OBLIG is putting the structure and the support in place to keep value in farmers' pockets.

"We have made real progress with our first group of farmers, and we are now opening the project up. We will be recruiting a second tranche of farmers throughout 2026, and I would encourage any organic beef or lamb producer who wants to be part of building a stronger sector to get in touch."

Hosting the launch on his own farm, OBLIG participant and organic farmer Paul Kennedy said:

"Every organic farmer knows the frustration of doing everything right on their farm and then watching the value disappear at the point of sale. You put in the years to convert, your farm to the organics, and then the animal is sold as conventional, and the premium is gone. On your own, there is very little you can do about it.

"That is why OBLIG matters. For the first time we have farmers, finishers, processors and retailers communicating with each other and working on the same problem. Being able to connect with a finisher, plan around the season, and know there is a buyer at the end of it changes how I look at the next few years. This is farmers taking the sector into their own hands, and I would encourage any organic producer to get involved."

Today's launch showcased the progress made since the project began and set out the roadmap for the years ahead, giving farmers, sector stakeholders and media a clear picture of what OBLIG intends to deliver.